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Watauga River at Elizabethton

Highest listed crest 21.00 ftFlood stage 8.5 ft30 crests since 1901

The Watauga River at Elizabethton crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 30 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1901 to 2024. The highest, 21.00 ft on May 21, 1901, was major flooding, 12.50 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
21.00 ft
May 21, 1901; 76,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.5 ft
Major flooding from 13.0 ft
Crests at major
6
15th of 100 gauges in Tennessee
Most recent flood crest
September 27, 2024
13.57 ft, major flooding
Location
Carter County
Near Elizabethton (1.4 mi), Johnson City (8.8 mi), Bristol (14.0 mi)
Identifiers
NWS EZBT1
No USGS station

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Watauga River at Elizabethton
Action stage7.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.521Apr 13, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage11.03Nov 19, 2003Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage13.06Sep 27, 2024Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

30 crests from 1901 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Watauga River at Elizabethton, 1901 to 2024 510152025ft Flood stage 8.5 ftMajor 13.0 ft May 21, 1901: 21.00 ft, major flooding; 76,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1902: 19.00 ft, major flooding; 61,000 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1916: 15.60 ft, major flooding; 40,000 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1924: 13.40 ft, major flooding; 30,000 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1940: 20.97 ft, major flooding; 75,100 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1950: 8.97 ft, minor floodingJan 22, 1954: 9.54 ft, minor flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1956: 9.14 ft, minor flooding; 9,390 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1957: 9.13 ft, minor flooding; 9,360 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1959: 9.15 ft, minor flooding; 9,420 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1963: 10.70 ft, minor flooding; 14,500 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1965: 10.43 ft, minor flooding; 13,500 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1973: 9.41 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1974: 9.70 ft, minor flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1975: 9.57 ft, minor flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1977: 9.71 ft, minor flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 1977: 10.64 ft, minor flooding; 14,200 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 9.64 ft, minor floodingFeb 3, 1982: 9.40 ft, minor floodingMay 7, 1984: 11.20 ft, moderate floodingMar 29, 1991: 8.70 ft, minor floodingMar 28, 1994: 9.50 ft, minor floodingJan 14, 1995: 9.40 ft, minor floodingJan 8, 1998: 11.70 ft, moderate floodingNov 19, 2003: 11.00 ft, moderate floodingDec 28, 2018: 9.12 ft, minor flooding; 9,670 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2019: 9.26 ft, minor flooding; 10,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2020: 9.26 ft, minor flooding; 10,100 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2020: 9.78 ft, minor flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2024: 13.57 ft, major flooding Highest, 21.00 ft, May 21, 1901 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Watauga River at Elizabethton 1900s: 2 1910s: 1 1920s: 1 1930s: 0 1940s: 1 1950s: 5 1960s: 2 1970s: 6 6 1980s: 2 1990s: 4 2000s: 1 2010s: 2 2020s: 3 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Watauga River at Elizabethton
1May 21, 190121.00+12.50Major76,000
2Aug 14, 194020.97+12.47Major75,100
3Feb 28, 190219.00+10.50Major61,000
4Jul 16, 191615.60+7.10Major40,000
5Sep 27, 202413.57+5.07Major—
6Jun 13, 192413.40+4.90Major30,000
7Jan 8, 199811.70+3.20Moderate—
8May 7, 198411.20+2.70Moderate—
9Nov 19, 200311.00+2.50Moderate—
10Mar 12, 196310.70+2.20Minor14,500
11Nov 6, 197710.64+2.14Minor14,200
12Mar 26, 196510.43+1.93Minor13,500
13Apr 13, 20209.78+1.28Minor11,600
14Apr 5, 19779.71+1.21Minor11,000
15Apr 3, 19749.70+1.20Minor11,000
16Jan 26, 19789.64+1.14Minor—
17Mar 30, 19759.57+1.07Minor10,600
18Jan 22, 19549.54+1.04Minor10,600
19Mar 28, 19949.50+1.00Minor—
20Mar 16, 19739.41+0.91Minor10,200
21Feb 3, 19829.40+0.90Minor—
22Jan 14, 19959.40+0.90Minor—
23Feb 23, 20199.26+0.76Minor10,100
24Feb 6, 20209.26+0.76Minor10,100
25Jan 22, 19599.15+0.65Minor9,420
26Apr 16, 19569.14+0.64Minor9,390
27Apr 5, 19579.13+0.63Minor9,360
28Dec 28, 20189.12+0.62Minor9,670
29Dec 7, 19508.97+0.47Minor—
30Mar 29, 19918.70+0.20Minor—

The worst floods along the Watauga River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Watauga River that crested above flood stage within a week.

August 14, 1940: 20.97 ft here, major flooding

  • Sugar GroveNC · Aug 13, 1940 · 29.60 ft · Major · its highest

July 16, 1916: 15.60 ft here, major flooding

September 27, 2024: 13.57 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Watauga River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Watauga River
Aldridge RoadNC6.09.00 ft, Oct 11, 20260
Elizabethton this gaugeTN8.521.00 ft, May 21, 19016
FoscoeNC9.011.96 ft, May 19, 20180
Sugar GroveNC6.029.60 ft, Aug 13, 19405

Other gauges in Carter County

Flood gauges in Carter County
Elizabethton8.011.10 ft, Sep 27, 20243

Carter County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Tennessee

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge EZBT1, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.